Business and Strategic Planning

Tools and resources for business and strategic planning to link operational activities to the strategy and programmatic work of the organization.

Strategic plans focus primarily on defining the overarching vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of an organization, while business plans focus primarily on the structures, processes, and models required to implement a strategy, including the revenue model that will support defined programmatic priorities. Yet, overlap between the two processes is frequent and will vary based on the consultant (e.g. business planning may integrate work on achieving strategic clarity, and strategic planning may include details on revenue models and administrative operations).

Resources

Featured Resource

Building Blocks for Creating Greater Impact

Former OE program Director Kathy Reich moderated a discussion on “Building Blocks for Creating Greater Impact.” Hosted by the Sobrato Philanthropies in February 2014, this discussion is a good introduction to nonprofit strategic planning and measurement. The panel in the video features Fay Twersky, Director of the Effective Philanthropy Group of the Hewlett Foundation, and Tess Reynolds,…

What We're Thinking

Over the past several years, our sector has been debating the design, relevancy and role of strategic planning as a core capacity building tool. Some say it is too time intensive and the final product too often ends up “sitting on a shelf.” Others deem planning to be a distraction from critical daily, operational and…